Metamask’s New Privacy Updates: Everything You Need To Know

Introduction

Metamask has rolled out new privacy updates that enable users to configure their wallets according to their privacy preferences.

Consensys, MetaMask’s parent company, has updated a new privacy policy to improve transparency, user consent, and control over personal data. These new changes in the policy aim to apply better security and privacy measures for Consensys’ service users, including MetaMask.

According to a press release, the company said, “As a blockchain software company whose mission is to unlock the collaborative power of communities by making Web3 universally easy to use, access, and build on, we understand how much privacy matters.”

Let’s get to the key updates. Here we go!

What are the Key Changes?

Consensys introduced many significant updates in its privacy policy, including enabling transparency in internet protocol (IP) address processing, to enhance its scope and improve user data management.

“For IP addresses in particular, we may temporarily process your IP address only where required for some of our Services (depending on your MetaMask settings) to provide the best possible experience for MetaMask users. This includes, for example, the prevention of DDoS attacks,” the press release read.

 The new privacy policy also covers other entities like MetaMask Institutional, Linea, Besu, MetaMask Developer, Teku, and Phosphor. It also includes a new opt-out option for users who want more privacy.

The press release further stated, “If users wish to further limit the collection of their device and usage information, they could consider using virtual private networks, or ‘VPNs’.”

New Privacy Features for MetaMask

MetaMask, part of the Consensys’s services, has also rolled out new privacy features and user control, giving users the option to control their wallets as per their privacy preferences.

“We have continued to expand the range of features where we provide granular choice through advanced settings that users can access and configure from the moment they onboard and at any point thereafter.”

 The new privacy features encompass

• enabling or disabling security alerts,
• improved remote procedure call (RPC) configuration and,
• auto-detection for tokens and non-fungible tokens (NFTs).

Absolute Transparency

Along with the new privacy features, MetaMask’s privacy notice also declared a transparent summary regarding what the company does and doesn’t do with “MetaMask user information”.

 “[MetaMask] do not collect your private keys […] do not sell your personal information […] do not collect or retain Personal Information unless necessary to provide you the Services and […] do not collect financial payment or banking information.”

The parent company, Consensys, has also explained that the company had eliminated Quorum and Codefi from the scope of the privacy notice.